Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to begin the first official bilateral visit to Türkiye by a Canadian prime minister on Wednesday, with talks expected to focus on expanding trade, strengthening defence ties and advancing cooperation in energy and critical minerals.

Carney will meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara before travelling to Istanbul to hold talks with Turkish business leaders and investors in sectors including aviation, advanced technologies, energy and mining. His visit is scheduled to run from Oct. 21 to 24, according to the Canadian prime minister’s office.

The visit follows a meeting between Carney and Erdoğan on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara in July, when the two leaders formally launched negotiations on a comprehensive free trade agreement. The proposed deal is intended to expand commercial ties, strengthen supply chains and create new opportunities for businesses and investors in both countries.

According to Reuters, the two countries are also expected to sign a joint declaration aimed at deepening cooperation in defence, energy, the economy and diplomatic relations. The proposed framework would establish committees to develop action plans in each area. Energy discussions could include Canadian liquefied natural gas exports to Türkiye and cooperation on critical minerals.

Nuclear energy is expected to be a key issue during the visit. Reuters reported that a working group could examine the feasibility of using Canada’s CANDU reactor technology in a planned nuclear power plant on Türkiye’s Black Sea coast. Türkiye has also held discussions with other international companies about its prospective second and third nuclear power plants, while Russia’s Rosatom is building the country’s first nuclear plant at Akkuyu.

Defence discussions are expected to cover drone technology and naval cooperation. The two countries are NATO allies, and Canada removed export controls on certain military goods destined for Türkiye in 2024, including optical technology used in drones. However, analysts cited by Reuters cautioned that major defence agreements may not emerge immediately from the visit.

The two governments are seeking to increase bilateral trade significantly through closer economic cooperation and a prospective free trade agreement. Turkish officials have outlined a short-term target of $7 billion to $8 billion in annual trade and a longer-term goal of $10 billion.

The latest figures published by the Canadian government put two-way merchandise trade at $4.3 billion in 2025, comprising $3.2 billion in Canadian imports from Türkiye and $1.1 billion in Canadian exports to Türkiye. The figure is higher than the $2.7 billion total cited in some earlier trade data, reflecting a difference in the reported figures and potentially in the statistical coverage used.

Türkiye’s exports to Canada include machinery and mechanical appliances, iron and steel, and related products. Data provided for 2025 put Turkish exports of boilers, machinery, mechanical appliances and tools at $158.7 million, followed by iron and steel at $104.4 million and iron and steel products at approximately $97.1 million.

During the first eight months of 2026, Turkish exports of machinery and mechanical appliances to Canada reached $96 million. Aluminium and aluminium products followed at $73.8 million, while fresh fruit and nuts accounted for $49.5 million.

Investment flows remain uneven. According to Statistics Canada figures cited in the supplied data, Canadian direct investment in Türkiye totalled 3.3 billion Canadian dollars ($2.3 billion) in 2025, compared with Turkish investment in Canada of 233 million Canadian dollars ($165.8 million).

Tourism has also contributed to closer people-to-people ties. The number of Canadian visitors to Türkiye increased 6.1% year-on-year to 321,271 in 2025. In the first eight months of 2026, Canadian arrivals rose a further 2.9% year-on-year to 209,176.

Ottawa has described Türkiye as an important NATO ally and G20 partner, highlighting opportunities to expand cooperation in aerospace, advanced technology, energy and critical minerals. The Canadian government has also said bilateral trade has grown by almost 50% over the past five years.

Carney’s visit comes as Canada seeks to diversify its international trade partnerships and reduce its reliance on the US market amid trade tensions with Washington. For Türkiye, the talks offer an opportunity to attract investment, expand access to Canadian technology and energy expertise, and strengthen commercial links with a major NATO ally. (ILKHA)